Sealing Ductwork and Ceiling Fans Kick Off Spring Cleaning

It’s not too early in Florida to start thinking about spring chores. This month, call to schedule your HVAC ductwork cleaning and appliance maintenance. While you are at it, schedule a Saturday to clean and rotate your ceiling fan blades. Yes, that’s right. This little chore can help your indoor air quality, and save energy.

Sealing and Cleaning Ductwork

The ducts that deliver conditioned air to the rooms in your house – and bring used air back to your HVAC system – often are a significant source of energy waste in your home. Air can leak out into unconditioned areas such as crawl spaces, wall cavities and the attic, forcing your furnace or A/C to work harder to compensate. Leaky ducts also may allow dirty air to enter gaps and cracks in the ducts, and continue on to your living spaces.

While a professional HVAC technician should perform any comprehensive duct sealing job, most homeowners have the basic skills to seal accessible ductwork. You can use mastic sealant to close gaps, and apply metal-backed tape to tighten up loose duct sections. Sometimes you’ll want to use a combination of mastic and tape, though avoid using common duct tape. Its adhesive doesn’t survive the regular heating and cooling that ducts experience.

Cleaning and Rotating Ceiling Fans

In the late fall, many homeowners reverse their ceiling fan blade rotation from counterclockwise to clockwise (with the small switch on the fan housing). This forces air upwards, where it displaces warm air that has collected at the top of the room. That warm air gets redistributed into the living spaces, aiding in home heating during the winter. However, it’s important to remember to switch the rotation back to counter-clockwise before the warm weather returns. This is the default setting that allows ceiling fans to blow cooling air onto room occupants.

For more tips on preparing your home for spring, contact us today at United Air Conditioning, serving Largo, St. Petersburg and Central Pinellas.